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What kind of welding machines you guys have ? Anyone got a Miller multimatic 220?

Chicken lights said:
Can anyone tell me if a Miller Maxstar 150 STL is worth fixing?
I don’t know what’s wrong with it. All I want is a 110v stick welder and I’m sure I could get this Miller cheap
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i have seen those little guys dropped from scaffold, used in sauna like environments, rain, you name it, they are tough little units, ive never seen one broken.....that being said, the whole board is encapsulated in some kind of expoxy from what i recall, and thats really all that is inside the case, so unless its just a loose connection to the board repair is going to be the whole board...$$ so if your going to get it, get it cheap, like 100$ kinda cheap

i have had one of those little guys for almost 17 years, 6010 is a no go, it will burn 6011 decently, 7018 burns ok, getting it started is a little tricky and takes some practice compared to a larger machine, and can be frustrating to less experience stick welders, but it can lay a nice bead, and will run 1/8 7018 all day on 220, it has just enough duty cycle for it to never be a problem

as for running it on 110 with stick......3/32 7018 is the limit, short beads, take breaks, it will blow a 15 and even a 20a breaker in short order, if you are going to do any decent amount of welding on 110v you would probably be stuck with 3/32 6011 (as you will be probabaly down in the 50a range)

now tig on 110v, no problem, you can run it full out at 150a and it wont blow the breaker, they are great for that
 
2850F4A5-CEA3-4C0A-AB9A-4DA77CC0B5F6.jpeg

The positive lead is loose (won’t tighten up). I’m guessing that’s an easy fix? I’ll mess with it later
 
Chicken lights said:
The positive lead is loose (won’t tighten up). I’m guessing that’s an easy fix? I’ll mess with it later
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hey right on, i hope its an easy fix :D

the one of the leads doesnt tighten, it will just spin, i do believe its the positive (wich ever one doesnt have the o-ring inside the connection), i dont know if thats the design of a 10mm dinse connection, or if its just the ones that miller decided to use

when you plug it in and turn it on does that little blue light even come on? if it doesnt thats where i would start, work your way back from the wall plug to the power connections inside the machine
 
phaxtris said:
hey right on, i hope its an easy fix :D

the one of the leads doesnt tighten, it will just spin, i do believe its the positive (wich ever one doesnt have the o-ring inside the connection), i dont know if thats the design of a 10mm dinse connection, or if its just the ones that miller decided to use

when you plug it in and turn it on does that little blue light even come on? if it doesnt thats where i would start, work your way back from the wall plug to the power connections inside the machine
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If I plug it in and turn it on the blue light comes on, and I can move the green light for the 3 different processes. If I had a lead and a ground I’d try it out. All that’s with it is the tig torch and cable
 
Chicken lights said:
If I plug it in and turn it on the blue light comes on, and I can move the green light for the 3 different processes. If I had a lead and a ground I’d try it out. All that’s with it is the tig torch and cable
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those dinse connectors are really expensive at the welding stores, sounds like you need to put some cables together, those connectors are cheapest on amazon, if you dont get an arc i would start looking at the connection form the dinse connector to the board....like i said those little machines are really tough
 
phaxtris said:
those dinse connectors are really expensive at the welding stores, sounds like you need to put some cables together, those connectors are cheapest on amazon, if you dont get an arc i would start looking at the connection form the dinse connector to the board....like i said those little machines are really tough
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4 gauge heavy enough for cables?
I do have some heavier cable here too but it’s mystery gauge

Thanks for the help
 
Chicken lights said:
4 gauge heavy enough for cables?
I do have some heavier cable here too but it’s mystery gauge

Thanks for the help
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if its actual welding cable (high strand count) 4 would work, it might be a trick to get it to clamp into a stinger as it is pretty small...but if you already have it.... ;)

youre welcome
 
I have a Forney 110v multi process. It's invaluable. I'm building my trailer with, currently running.030 flux core (Lincoln inner shield). Haven't tig welded with it but have used the other process. Welds 3/32 7018 no problem
 
Chicken lights said:
If I plug it in and turn it on the blue light comes on, and I can move the green light for the 3 different processes. If I had a lead and a ground I’d try it out. All that’s with it is the tig torch and cable
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@Chicken lights Did you ever get this welder working? One came across my bench last year but the owner took it back to the dealer. He had had it for years though and I don't think anything happened after that. I forget what the blue light means now but at the time, it sounded like an issue with the PC Board that required replacement, although I did not pursue it as he thought the dealer might look after him. iirc, the blue light issue was common.

Just curious if I should try to get it back on the bench to troubleshoot some more. I suspect all surface mount technology though so probably a board replacement only repair.
 
old lincoln buzzbox, Invetec Tig (needed the small size) and a Lincoln Mig pack and O/A. I've got a fabrication business if I need something heavier but that rarely happens. Biggest constraint is space, except for small bench top things, welding now all but impossible in my shop :(
 
I've got a Lincoln Square Wave Tig 200 machine, does AC/DC TIG and DC stick. I still suck at TIG, especially aluminum, but got this over a MIG as I wanted to learn to weld aluminum and the fact that TIG doesn't throw sparks, slag and crap all over the shop that is attached to my house. If I need to nail together larger fabrications I go out into the driveway to stick weld but smaller parts just get TIG'ed in the shop. Hopefully I can shake less as time goes on and that will give my tungstens a longer expected life span, lol.
 
Everett said:
Hopefully I can shake less as time goes on and that will give my tungstens a longer expected life span, lol.
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Shake less as time goes on? You are dreaming in Technicolor my friend.....

That's the bad news. The good news is that your eyes will get worse to the point that you can't see the shake anymore.....

Amazing what kind of weld bead you can lay down with shaky hands and fuzzy eyes. My bride of 50 years calls it "ART".
 
I was just exploring the Everlast Welder site and they are coming out with a Mig/Stick/Plasma

MultiProcess MIG, Stick & Plasma | Everlast Welders Canada

Get MultiProcess Mig Stick Plasma Welder Online at Everlast Welders Canada. These MIG welder / Stick welder/ Plasma cut muti-function units were designed to give excellent performance and convenience using any of the three processes.
www.everlastwelders.ca www.everlastwelders.ca

For most of my stuff that would be pretty neat!
 
Brent H said:
I was just exploring the Everlast Welder site and they are coming out with a Mig/Stick/Plasma

MultiProcess MIG, Stick & Plasma | Everlast Welders Canada

Get MultiProcess Mig Stick Plasma Welder Online at Everlast Welders Canada. These MIG welder / Stick welder/ Plasma cut muti-function units were designed to give excellent performance and convenience using any of the three processes.
www.everlastwelders.ca www.everlastwelders.ca

For most of my stuff that would be pretty neat!
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I appreciate the redundancy point made by someone earlier, but for me an all in one would be great. I'm not worried about a machine crapping out. I'm almost never in a rush and I have neighbours that can weld better than I do with their eyes closed.

I like some of the new features of this machine. Anything to help me lay a better bead would be appreciated.

A plasma cutter too..... :p

OH yes, I almost forgot, the subject of the thread:

Lincoln Tombstone AC/DC 225
Lincoln EasyMIG 180
OxyAcetylene

Ya, sometimes I still like to weld with gas.....

I'm no welder though. My beads are nothing more than embarrassing. Still waiting for the day I lay a good one by accident.

Never tried TIG. Maybe someday.

I doubt buying a fancier all-in-one would actually improve my welding. But a fellow is allowed to dream.
 
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Everett said:
...Hopefully I can shake less as time goes on and that will give my tungstens a longer expected life span, lol.
Click to expand...
Here's a thread about a devoted TIG table I built. I'm getting ready to make some modes to it, but the idea I got from a fellow who teaches TIG is solid. Basically you need to be sitting down with your arms resting on the table. It makes a huge improvement I found. Seriously. My shaking almost went away. I built mine off the side of my main workbench, but will be changing it so it is larger and hinged I think. That way it is easier to set up.

The thread is here: https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/tig-table-from-scrap.1989/#post-21799
 
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